It?s her commitment to ?service? that helped Gov. Beverly Perdue attract attention in the latest print version of U.S. News & World Report. (It?s interesting that the only two governors from whom the magazine solicits input are one of the nation?s least popular governors and the one with the nation?s worst unemployment rate.)
But aside from the comments about the joys of service, the remarks that attracted my attention were those dealing with economic development.
Regular readers of this forum know that low marginal tax rates and less onerous regulations are keys to economic growth. Instead of focusing on these ideas, Perdue focuses on wheeling and dealing with targeted tax breaks and cash grants:
Every so often, though, you enact a law or close a deal that delivers a positive impact that you can see and feel right away. In these difficult times, there is nothing more rewarding than convincing a company to move to, or expand in, North Carolina and create jobs. When I recently announced Caterpillar?s expansion at not one but two plants, the audiences exuded both excitement and relief. It was the best payback you could hope for.
It?s nice to read near the end of her column that the governor is willing to take a ?barrage of attacks? for her focus on ribbon cuttings and press releases, rather than real policies focusing on economic growth:
[I]f that?s part of the cost of advancing my ideas, of landing that next corporate relocation and raising the quality of life for folks in my state, then it?s more than worth it.
